1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a concentrating chamber in an oxygen concentrating apparatus capable of independently concentrating and storing oxygen through adsorption of nitrogen, and more particularly, to an independent oxygen concentrating chamber having an adsorption tower, an orifice, and a check valve which are essential components of an oxygen concentrating apparatus, in which a solenoid valve is included in addition to an adsorption tower having the orifice and the check valve, and a compressed air supply unit and a concentrated oxygen supply unit are excluded.
2. Description of the Related Art
An oxygen concentrating apparatus uses a property that an adsorption material such as zeolite adsorbs predetermined nitrogen gas. Nitrogen occupying about 80% in the air is adsorbed to zeolite better than oxygen be. Accordingly, if general air is introduced into an adsorption bed charged with an adsorption material, nitrogen components are adsorbed and the air from which the nitrogen components have been reduced is collected through an upper exit of the adsorption bed. The main components of the collected gas are oxygen. Here, the adsorption bed is a closed space and filled with an adsorption material, in which a gas pressure can be adjusted in the upper and lower ends of the adsorption bed.
Nitrogen adsorption and rinsing processes adsorb only nitrogen and separate oxygen from compressed air which passes through a predetermined adsorption material. Here, since an adsorption performance of zeolite being an adsorption material is sharply lowered as nitrogen is consistently adsorbed thereto, nitrogen adsorbed to zeolite should be rinsed every period of separation of oxygen, in order to restore an original performance of zeolite. This process will be called a nitrogen rinsing process. Nitrogen is adsorbed to the adsorption material, to thereby obtain the oxygen gas after adsorption. If the obtained oxygen becomes a predetermined pressure, the oxygen gas is moved into a storage chamber to be kept at a considerably high pressure. Then, part of the oxygen is counter-flown through the adsorption material, to thereby restore an adsorption function of the adsorption material through the nitrogen rinsing.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an oxygen concentrating apparatus which was filed on Dec. 14, 1999 and registered on Mar. 24, 2000, as Korean Utility Model Publication No. 2000-184654, by the same applicant as that of this application, in which an oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention can be applied.
The concentrating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a compressed air supply unit 10 for compressing external air through a compressor and supplying the compressed air, an air inhale and exhaust control solenoid valve 20 for supplying the compressed air and exhausting rinsed nitrogen after concentration, a concentration and adsorption unit 30 for concentrating only oxygen through a predetermined nitrogen adsorption unit with the supplied compressed air until an oxygen pressure becomes a predetermined pressure and rinsing the adsorbed nitrogen, a check valve unit 40 for moving the concentrated oxygen to an oxygen storage unit 50 if an oxygen pressure in the concentration and adsorption unit 30 reaches a predetermined pressure, and then counter-flowing part of the concentrated oxygen through the nitrogen adsorption unit, in order to wash the adsorbed nitrogen, if an internal pressure in the nitrogen adsorption unit is lowered below a predetermined pressure, the oxygen storage unit 50 for storing the oxygen concentrated through the concentration and adsorption unit 30, and an outflow unit 60 for outflowing the stored oxygen while controlling an outflow pressure according to an outflow condition.
In more detail, the compressed air supply unit 10 includes a compressor, an air inhale filter for filtering the external air, and a muffler for reducing air inhaled noise. The solenoid valve 20 includes air exhaust noise during rinsing nitrogen. The oxygen concentration and nitrogen adsorption unit 30 is made of zeolite which is a nitrogen adsorption material. The check valve unit 40 includes a check valve and an orifice. The oxygen storage unit 50 is made of various complex inner and outer integration bed structures.
The concentrated oxygen obtained through the oxygen concentrating apparatus is controlled into a necessary pressure and then supplied through a pressure controller and a flow meter in the outflow unit 60.
Here, the orifice is a small hole connecting between the nitrogen adsorption unit and the storage unit. If the internal pressure of the concentrated oxygen becomes greater after separating the nitrogen in the nitrogen adsorption unit, the concentrated oxygen is moved to the check valve, and if the pressure in the nitrogen adsorption unit is lowered, the oxygen of the high pressure counter-flows through the nitrogen adsorption unit, in order to wash a nitrogen adsorption material to which nitrogen is adsorbed. At the same time of rinsing nitrogen, an air exhaust valve is opened to exhaust nitrogen and then closed again.
The above-described oxygen concentrating apparatus is simpler than an integration bed in a well-known medical oxygen supply apparatus. However, since a repeating process of oxygen concentration and nitrogen rinsing is performed alternately through a plurality of adsorption beds, it is essential to configure double-type plural beds for concentrating oxygen and rinsing nitrogen.
That is, when an air circuit is configured in an oxygen concentrating apparatus, an orifice should be connected between adsorption beds and a check valve should be connected in each adsorption bed, using an air tube in the upper end of each adsorption bed, in order to connect the components. Each check valve is connected to an oxygen storage unit (tank), in which case a tube and connection nipples are used in order to connect the orifice, the check valves, and oxygen storage tank, and in addition a hose and a pipe should be used. As a result, a connection structure of valves and pipes between the oxygen storage tank and the adsorption units cannot but be complicated, and thus the connection structure is not so easily understood, and is often out of order. Also, the conventional oxygen concentrating apparatus occupies a big space and needs a separate oxygen storage unit, to accordingly make it difficult to be made compact and thus to be distributed quickly.
In the present invention, an orifice, a check valve and an oxygen tank are configured into a single assembly in an adsorption unit.
That is, an adsorption unit 30 for performing oxygen concentration and simultaneously rinsing the adsorbed nitrogen to then exhaust the rinsed nitrogen, a check valve unit 40 which is closed during adsorbing and is opened if the oxygen concentration reaches a predetermined pressure, and an oxygen storage unit 50 for temporarily storing the concentrated oxygen, are integrated into a unit assembly as a portion of performing an oxygen concentration function through a substantial nitrogen separation. In the present invention, this is called an oxygen concentrating chamber or concentrating chamber.
In the case of the unit concentrating chamber as described above, a complicated tube connection structure can be removed from the upper end of the adsorption unit, and a remaining space in an adsorption tower is used as an oxygen storage space without using a separate storage tank, to thereby provide a concentrating chamber having a simple structure in the external configuration of the adsorption unit.
In the case that an oxygen concentrating apparatus is designed using the above-described concentrating chamber, a compressor, a muffler, a flow control supply unit, etc., are connected as they are. As a result, the number of components is reduced and the outer connector can be simpler. Also, the oxygen concentrating apparatus can be made much more easily, and the entire size of the oxygen concentrating apparatus is also reduced to thereby enable the oxygen concentrating apparatus to be made compact.
Further, when two or more concentrating chambers are configured together with a manifold in which a solenoid valve is formed, an oxygen concentrating apparatus combined with a plurality of concentrating chambers can be provided more simply.
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oxygen concentrating chamber in which separation and storing of oxygen is performed in a single casing by modifying a structural principle of an adsorption tower in a conventional oxygen concentrating apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an oxygen concentrating chamber in which an air moving unit for moving gas having an oxygen storage unit, a check valve and an orifice, and a unit for performing nitrogen adsorption and nitrogen rinsing, is configured in a single casing.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an oxygen concentrating chamber integrated with a storage and air inhale and exhaust control unit necessary for oxygen storage, nitrogen adsorption and nitrogen rinsing, which is deposited in a single casing.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an oxygen concentrating chamber in which a solenoid structure appropriate for providing the concentrating chamber is configured in a lower manifold.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an oxygen concentrating chamber in which an oxygen storage unit appropriate for providing the concentrating chamber is configured in an upper manifold.
To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a concentrating chamber in an oxygen concentrating apparatus, the concentrating chamber comprising: an oxygen concentrating unit formed of a casing having upper and lower openings, for performing an oxygen concentration through a compressed air and counter-flowing the stored oxygen to perform a nitrogen rinsing in the casing; and upper and lower manifolds for supplying the concentrated oxygen through the upper and lower ends of the oxygen concentrating unit, or supplying the compressed air and simultaneously exhausting the rinsed nitrogen, through the upper and lower ends of the oxygen concentrating unit.
Preferably, the oxygen concentrating unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention is comprised of an oxygen storage unit, a check valve unit and an adsorption unit which are stacked in the cylindrical casing, one over another in turn.
Preferably, the check valve unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention comprises a check valve for moving the concentrated oxygen to the oxygen storage unit if an internal pressure in the adsorption unit reaches a predetermined pressure after the oxygen has started to be concentrated, and an orifice for counter-flowing part of the concentrated oxygen of the high pressure into the adsorption unit if the pressure in the adsorption unit is lowered, and rinsing the nitrogen adsorbed in the adsorption material.
Preferably, the adsorption unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention further comprises upper and lower nets for preventing the adsorption material from flowing up and down.
Preferably, a mixed space called a dead zone is formed between the check valve unit and the adsorption unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention and a spring is further provided in the mixed space.
Preferably, a spring is further provided in the oxygen storage unit formed between the upper manifold and the check valve unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber according to the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a concentrating chamber in an oxygen concentrating apparatus, the concentrating chamber comprising: a plurality of oxygen concentrating units installed in a casing made of a cylindrical body having upper and lower openings, for performing predetermined oxygen concentration and nitrogen rinsing; and upper and lower manifolds respectively installed in the upper and lower ends of the oxygen concentrating units installed in parallel in which the upper manifold forms a supply path for the concentrated oxygen and the lower manifold plays a role of supplying the compressed air and exhausting the rinsed nitrogen.
Preferably, the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention is comprised of an oxygen storage unit, a check valve unit, a porous plate and an adsorption unit which are stacked in the cylindrical casing, one over another in turn.
Preferably, the upper manifold in the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention is comprised of a check valve unit formed of a check valve and an orifice respectively corresponding to the concentrating units, and a mixed space, a porous plate and an adsorption unit are positioned in the left and right casings.
Preferably, an oxygen storage unit is formed between the left and right casings of the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention, and a vent is formed in the center of the check valve unit.
Preferably, the check valve unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention comprises a check valve for moving the concentrated oxygen to the oxygen storage unit if an internal pressure in the adsorption unit reaches a predetermined pressure after the oxygen has started to be concentrated, and an orifice for counter-flowing part of the concentrated oxygen of the high pressure into the adsorption unit if the pressure in the adsorption unit is lowered, and rinsing the nitrogen adsorbed in the adsorption material, in which the check valve and the orifice face each other with the vent in the center.
Preferably, the adsorption unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention further comprises upper and lower nets for preventing the adsorption material from flowing up and down.
Preferably, a mixed space called a dead zone is formed between the check valve unit and the adsorption unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention and a spring is further provided in the mixed space.
Preferably, a spring is further provided in the oxygen storage unit formed between the upper manifold and the check valve unit in the oxygen concentrating chamber having the plurality of oxygen concentrating units according to the present invention.